I don't think anybody thinks he's going to walk in as a plus defender. That's just a straw man, right? But comparing his athletic profile to Sengun's is also a touch ridiculous, which is what speaks to how salient a concern the redundancy is. Nobody really thinks Banchero can't guard 3 and 4. The questions surround whether his low block rate means that he can't meaningfully play a small ball 5 and whether he can really switch onto 1s. I love Sengun to pieces, but the defensive questions about him are whether there is ANY position he can guard, because he is an undersized 5 and super slow footed for a modern 4. So nobody's saying there aren't defensive issues - I was just reacting to people invoking the Stone quote as some sort of gotcha. I don't even understand that because if you believe all the reporting that the FO is pretty happy w/ Banchero, then either Stone didn't believe the principle he articulated (doubtful) or he doesn't think the redundancies concern applies in this particular case, because it's a more granular concept than "not a strong defender right this second" (more likely).
There is literally no chance that Mark Williams is there at 17 fellas. His stock was already rising then he measured a 7'6" wingspan.
Yes, there are many that question Paolo’s ability to guard 3s and 4s. He isn’t a plus athlete by any standard. He’s a solid athlete. It’s also absolutely false that Sengun is a below average athlete, second step recovery, quick off the floor, coordinated and quick hands. He isn’t a top tier athlete, not a bottom tier either. His top speed isn’t good compared to elite level guys but for 4/5s it’s not terrible either. Paolo is a little better all around athlete, faster, quicker, little more vertical lift. But neither are elite athletes compared to NBA. Skillset is what is going to make both of them potentially elite. Not athleticism.
I'm not asserting that Sengun is a below average athlete. I'm asserting that he's a *significantly* below average *NBA* athlete, at least in terms of lateral mobility and vertical explosion. I agree re: quick hands and coordination, which is why is surprisingly playable, but please please please let's just be candid about a player's limitations. I don't think it was you but I think there was someone else asserting that multiple FOs would draft Sengun in front of Paolo if Sengun were in this draft, and that is *bonkers.*
I don't think Sengun is an ideal fit next to Banchero but I think there's enough minutes to go around where they will only be playing 10 min shared max. Both players suffer from Stamina issues and I have a feeling Banchero will be a foul machine for a while ( just like Sengun). However, between both of these boys, that's nearly 500lbs of bully ball to contend with for 48 minutes... a rather daunting task if I'm any NBA team and I could see us lead the league in fouls drawn. I also REALLY love the idea with Banchero as the small ball 5 (provided you have a long roster around him).. and for that reason KJM is the perfect small ball 4 compliment to Banchero. This lineup would be so fun to watch: Green Christopher (#17 pick) KJM Banchero We just need to pick up one of the longer 3's in this draft with our second pick. Daniels/Sochan/Eason with our second (use ammo to trade up if necessary) and I'm loving our core.
He’s not below average vertically. He’s an average to slightly above average vertical athlete. The average vertical for the NBA is 28” Sengun is probably somewhere around a 32-34” vert guy. But more importantly, he gets off the ground pretty quickly. As far as taking Sengun over Paolo, I personally would. But that’s dependent on a few things, I think there’s more untapped physical potential with Sengun. But……if, and I still think it’s a big if, Paolo can play more on the wing. He should be the number 1 player in the draft.
We can agree to disagree here, and it's besides the point, but I appreciate you not being an a**hole in having a disagreement about basketball on here.
Sengun had no stamina issues the last part of the season while playing 30-35 mins a game. He may have had some at the beginning of the season, but I think more of his lack of playing time was Silas and Stone wanting to maximize Wood’s trade value or see if he could improve enough to keep.
Sengun tries to make up for his athletic deficiency with his high IQ and effort. He surprised me by slowing down KD's drive towards the basket. Switching out on to the perimeter and rim protection is hard for him. If Paolo works hard on defence, he can improve too.
I’m really only an ******* to Jiggy lol. Disagreement is going to happen, I’m just a fan of real measurements. Alp is an average to above average NBA athlete. Paolo is a tick above him, a couple ticks in movement. Neither will ever be elite in the explosiveness categories. But, it isn’t needed to be an elite NBA player. I like Paolo, I really like Sengun. I think they’re both smart enough to play together and both are willing passers.
The idea that what we are in 2022-2023 or what someone is day 1 of summerleague matters at all is short sighted. It's like propping up Evan Mobley all year only to see Jalen making long strides ahead of him at the end of 2022 and what is to come. Propping oneself up as a "defense junkie" doesn't elevate status or make anyone smarter than anyone else. Always arguing for what you don't have is trivial and obsessive. Banchero/Green/Sengun gives you an optionality on offense that will be unique. 7 other players and coaching can address some of the defensive issues. Take our lotto pick in 2023 and the data we will have on the young players and worry about the future then. Sengun/Green/Banchero is coming away from 135 losses with the 3 player combo that has the highest potentiality of yielding a franchise player(s). Green got stronger on D throughout the year. Sengun had plenty of flashes. The KPJ spot will ultimately have to be our "best" wing defender and thats ok. Green and Banchero flank the wings in that case and we find a beast to ride with Sengun.
Agreed. I personally think Jaygup may be the PG of the future next to Green/Sengun/Paolo. Christopher is a big and strong player who I can see being a shutdown defender. He has the attributes to rebound well.
Also it was the stamina issues, obvious to any casual observer and confirmed by Sengun himself, and the fact he was averaging 6+ fouls/36. I don't get why people get so mad that these 2 things above actually happened or are incentivized to rationalize them away. Who cares?
He's not a point guard at all, not even a combo guard, so I'm thinking it's unlikely he's the point guard of the future. I also think it's unlikely that he's the center of the future or the power forward of the future.
